LSG win IPL 2026 thriller on the last ball as KKR remain winless — Mukul Choudhary rewrites the record books

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three wickets in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 9 April 2026. The result arrived off the final ball of the chase in a match that shifted momentum multiple times across 40 overs. Lucknow Super Giants registered their second win of the Indian Premier League 2026, while Kolkata Knight Riders remained without a victory and continued their difficult start to the tournament.

Eden Gardens, the largest cricket stadium in India and the home ground of Kolkata Knight Riders, hosted a match in which the outcome appeared to be heading firmly towards the hosts before a 21-year-old batter from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan changed everything in the final three overs.

How did Kolkata Knight Riders bat in the first innings of IPL 2026 Match 15 at Eden Gardens?

Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and chose to bowl. Kolkata Knight Riders lost opener Finn Allen early, dismissed for nine off eight balls by Prince Yadav. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi then combined to steady the Kolkata Knight Riders innings with an 84-run partnership for the second wicket. Rahane contributed 41 off 24 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 170.83, before Digvesh Rathi had him caught by Mohammed Shami. Raghuvanshi followed for 45 off 33 balls, dismissed by Manimaran Siddharth. The two wickets fell in quick succession and interrupted what had been a well-constructed platform.

The middle phase of the Kolkata Knight Riders innings produced a slowdown that briefly threatened to cost them. Between overs 13 and 15, Kolkata Knight Riders managed only nine runs as Cameron Green worked to settle against the Lucknow Super Giants spin options. Rinku Singh was bowled by Avesh Khan for four off seven balls in the 14th over, leaving Kolkata Knight Riders at 111 for four.

The final five overs reversed the trajectory entirely. Green found his range in the death overs, and Rovman Powell, appearing in his first match of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, provided the finishing firepower. The pair added 66 runs together to lift Kolkata Knight Riders to a competitive 181 for four from 20 overs. Powell finished unbeaten on 39 off 24 balls, striking four boundaries and two sixes. Green remained unbeaten on 32 off 24 balls.

Among the Lucknow Super Giants bowling group, Digvesh Rathi and Manimaran Siddharth each took one wicket and applied effective pressure through the spin-heavy middle overs. Avesh Khan took one wicket. Prince Yadav claimed one wicket but conceded 47 runs from four overs. Mohammed Shami bowled four tidy overs for 27 runs without a wicket.

What happened during the Lucknow Super Giants chase of 182 in IPL 2026 Match 15 against Kolkata Knight Riders?

In their chase of 182, Lucknow Super Giants began positively. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh put on 41 runs in the first four overs. Vaibhav Arora then shifted the match by removing both Markram and Marsh in the same over, reducing Lucknow Super Giants to 56 for two at the end of the powerplay.

The middle period of the Lucknow Super Giants chase was defined by consistent wicket-taking. Rishabh Pant, captaining Lucknow Super Giants in the 2026 Indian Premier League, was caught at short fine leg off Cameron Green. Nicholas Pooran was dismissed via a short-ball trap. Abdul Samad was bowled by Anukul Roy through the gate. Lucknow Super Giants were 104 for five in the 13th over, with the required run rate beyond ten per over and the lower order approaching.

Ayush Badoni was the central figure in keeping the chase alive through the middle stages. He scored 54 and brought up his half-century with a six in the 15th over, only to be dismissed off the very next ball, caught at long off by Rinku Singh from Anukul Roy’s bowling. Mohammed Shami fell to Sunil Narine shortly after, leaving Lucknow Super Giants at 128 for seven. Fifty-four runs were still required with three wickets remaining.

How did Mukul Choudhary win the IPL 2026 match for Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens?

Mukul Choudhary walked in at number nine at that point. The 21-year-old from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, who had developed his cricket by relocating first to Jaipur and then to Gurgaon as T20 cricket grew in the country, had not scored a run in the Indian Premier League 2026 before this innings. His first notable action was a straight six off Vaibhav Arora in the 17th over. From that moment, Choudhary attacked every delivery he could reach, pulling short balls over the boundary with authority and dispatching fuller deliveries with a helicopter swing of the bat.

Choudhary struck seven sixes across his innings. With 14 runs required from the final over, Avesh Khan pushed a single off the first ball to return the strike to Choudhary. The second ball disappeared for six. Arora tested Choudhary with two successive yorkers that produced dots. The fifth ball of the over was sent for another six, this time over deep cover from a wide yorker.

One run was required from the final delivery. Choudhary swung and missed but both batters ran. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, fielding near the striker’s end, had the chance to effect a direct hit run-out but his throw missed the target. Lucknow Super Giants finished on 182 for seven off the last ball of the match and won by three wickets.

Choudhary finished unbeaten on 54 off 27 balls. The partnership between Choudhary and Avesh Khan produced 54 runs for the eighth wicket, with Avesh contributing only one run. The official Indian Premier League match report confirmed this as the highest eighth-wicket partnership in a successful Indian Premier League chase. Choudhary was named player of the match.

In his post-match remarks, Choudhary said that cricket had been his father’s dream for his son since before he was born. He described the financial difficulties of his early cricket journey and his progression from limited resources in Jhunjhunu through Jaipur and then to Gurgaon, where he remained for several months to sharpen his game as T20 cricket expanded across the country.

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said after the match that 180 to 185 had been a good total on the Eden Gardens surface and acknowledged that credit had to go to the Lucknow Super Giants batters for the manner in which they had played in the final overs.

What does the IPL 2026 result mean for Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants in the points table?

The defeat left Kolkata Knight Riders at ninth place on the Indian Premier League 2026 points table without a win from their matches so far in the season. The franchise has faced documented difficulties against spin bowling in this edition of the competition, a vulnerability that Lucknow Super Giants’ bowling group targeted through the middle overs of the Kolkata Knight Riders innings. Lucknow Super Giants moved to fifth place on the points table following the result, with two wins from three matches. Lucknow Super Giants have now won five of their seven all-time Indian Premier League encounters against Kolkata Knight Riders.

What are the key takeaways from Lucknow Super Giants’ three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 Match 15?

• Lucknow Super Giants defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets off the final ball at Eden Gardens on 9 April 2026, completing a chase of 182 in their allotted 20 overs to finish at 182 for seven.
• Mukul Choudhary, 21, scored an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls including seven sixes at number nine, forging an unbroken 54-run eighth-wicket partnership with Avesh Khan that the Indian Premier League confirmed as the highest eighth-wicket stand in a successful Indian Premier League chase.
• Kolkata Knight Riders posted 181 for four, built around an 84-run second-wicket partnership between Ajinkya Rahane (41) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (45) and a late assault of 66 runs in the final five overs from Cameron Green (32 not out) and Rovman Powell (39 not out).
• Kolkata Knight Riders remain without a win in the Indian Premier League 2026, sitting at ninth place on the points table, with their vulnerability against spin bowling continuing to be a structural concern through the early phase of the season.
• Lucknow Super Giants recorded back-to-back wins and moved to fifth on the Indian Premier League 2026 points table with two victories from three matches, extending their all-time record against Kolkata Knight Riders to five wins from seven Indian Premier League encounters.